Sir Charles Knowles

“ She drove so far as to open the whole Fire of the Castle of Boccachica, four of the Enemy's Ships of sixty and seventy Guns, that were moored athwart the Harbour's Mouth, the Battery of St. Joseph, and two Fascine Batteries, that were on the Barradera Side; all this Fire she lay singly exposed to till dark, when she took the Benefit of the Land-Wind, and ran off, being greatly shattered in her Hull, Masts, and Rigging, and a great many Men killed and wounded. ”

“ Because the Enemy made such quick Dispatch in repairing some Part of the Barradera Battery, mounting and firing some Pieces again, the Army began to reflect, and say, the Battery was not effectually destroyed, though hundreds of Men were seen constantly at work, and Boats with Cannon, Stores, and Fascines, passing and repassing hourly, both from Boccachica and the Ships: But the Truth was, the Army was not accustomed to work in that brisk Manner: No! ”

“ This Victory (it will readily be allowed) gave the Army a great Share of Spirits, as it freed them from Hardships (modern Gentlemen Soldiers are not used to) and gave them Possession of an Island (as well as the Castle) in which the Enemy could not come to disturb them, especially while they had got a Fleet of Ships of War to attend on them; for, to their great Glory be it spoken, they could not venture to move along Shore without Men of War to attend on them, as they marched, and the constant Cry was, Why don't you come to our Assistance? ”

“ Working was no Part of their Trade. However, when the sixty Gun Ship went in against the Battery, that the Enemy was obliged to bring their Guns to fire at her, the Army cooled in their Resentments, and all was well, while the Enemy was quiet. ”

“ The Position the Enemy had lain their Ships in, was beyond all Doubt the most advantageous, could be formed by Man; both for opposing any Attempt, that might be made by Shipping on the Entrance into the Harbour; or annoy any Battery, that could be raised ashore; and as they found no Battery against them, they failed not to play as briskly (as Spaniards will do when there is no body to hurt them) and did ten times more Damage than the Castle. ”

“ When the Council of War agreed to the Forces being embarked, the General urged, that they might come off in the Night, lest the Enemy should make a Sortie, so that the Boats were ordered ashore about nine o'Clock, and from the Apprehensions they were in of the Enemy's being at their Heels, many of them left their Baggage, and Numbers of them their Tents and Arms, which the Enemy came the next Morning and picked up. ”

“ As when Faults are committed, the first Thing sought after is an Excuse; so, not succeeding in this Attack, the Army now fell to blaming the Guides, saying, they had led them the wrong Way; the Guides again say, the Army would not follow them the Way they would have led them; but had Reason alone been their Guide, sure they should have attacked the Castle on the weakest Side; (for they all knew one Side was defenceless) whereas they attacked it on the strongest Side, where the Hill was most difficult of Access ”

“ That the whole Body of the Troops, that came from England (unless two Regiments) were raw, new raised, undisciplined Men, is a Fact known to every one; and the greatest Part of the Officers commanding them, either young Gentlemen whose Quality or Interest entitled them to Preferment, or abandoned Wretches of the Town, whose Prostitution had made them useful on some dirty Occasion, and by Way of Reward were provided for in the Army ”

“ The Hill it stands on is about fifty or sixty Foot high, naturally steep, but made more so by the Earth out of the Trenches and Lines being thrown over the Brow. The Castle is a Square of about fifty Foot, with three Demi-Bastions, two Guns in each Face, one in each Flank, and three in each Curtain. When the Army first landed, there was no material Works about the Castle, but a Fascine Battery, of five Guns at the North End of the Hill, facing the Brow of the commanding Hill abovementioned ”

“ It was a Body of eight hundred Grenadiers that first landed, who, during the Time that more Troops were sent for (which was upwards of two Hours before they came) were kept in the Boats, within twenty Yards of the Shore, and so closely crouded, scarce one Man could have used his Arms, that had they had any Enemy to have dealt with, but dastardly Spaniards, they must and would have been cut all to pieces. ”

“ Jago, one of seven Guns, the other of fifteen, which served as Redoubts to the Castle of Boccachica. One of these Forts was built on the Rock Ponti landed on, and probably to prevent any one's landing there again, (especially so easily as he did.) The Castle of Boccachica was the Enemy's chief Dependance, as it guarded the Entrance into the Harbour. It is a regular Square, with four Bastions well built, and was capable of making a stout Defence if well garisoned, and would have been much stronger had the Glacis and Counterscarp been finished. ”

“ Such was the Knowledge of the Sub-Engineers, that not one of them knew where to chuse out a Spot of Ground for raising a Battery, neither had they prepared Fascines, Pickets, or any Materials, till their Principal arrived (and after he had pitched on a Place, he made a Demand of thirty thousand Fascines of twelve Foot long, twenty thousand of nine Foot long, and forty thousand Pickets, whereas one thousand five hundred Fascines built the Battery) who, Vauban like, would not begin to work, till all his Materials were on the Spot ”

“ This Place is about half Way from the Boquilla to the Town, and guards a narrow Creek or Pass from the Town to the Lake, called Passa de Juan D'Ingola, through which Supplies come in Canoes from the other Side of the Lake to the Town: As for the City itself, Nature has fortified that against any Attempt by Sea, the Water shoaling near a League off, and the Shore being plentifully bounded with Rocks; besides, the Sea is very seldom smooth, so that it is difficult at all Times landing. ”

“ Passa Cavallos is a Creek, that parts the grand Baru from the Main, through which the Supplies of Provisions that come from Tolu and Sina must pass; and here the Enemy had erected two small Batteries, one of four Guns, the other of eight, which were demolished by the Weymouth and Cruiser. ”

“ The 31st early in the Morning, Captain Knowles observed the enemy's two Men of War sunk, and not perceiving any Men in the Castle went and acquainted Sir Chaloner Ogle, that it was his Opinion the Enemy had abandoned Castillo Grande, who immediately ordered him to weigh Anchor, and run in with his Ship, and fire on it, which he did ”

“ The Army allowed the Tars behaved gallantly; for it must be remarked, they had Seamen to fight the Guns in the Battery, as well as help to build it. Whether the Engineers proposed to batter the angular Point of the Bastion in Breach is Matter of Doubt, at the first laying out of their Battery ”

“ Joseph by Boats, and sent them away under the Command of Captain Knowles, who took Possession of it about ten a Clock at Night, the Enemy abandoning it after firing some Guns: The Boats afterwards went and took Possession of the Galicia, the Spanish Admiral's Ship, and then went to Work on cutting the Boom [S] , and moving the Galicia out of the Channel; and [25] next Morning the Admiral in the Princess Caroline, the Worcester, and some other Ships sailed into the Harbour of Carthagena, and the whole Fleet and Transports continued to sail and warp in as fast as conveniently they could. ”

“ Various are the Accounts of the Loss sustained in this Action; but it is generally believed, there were upwards of one hundred Men killed, and near two hundred wounded, thirty of whom were taken Prisoners, Numbers of Arms, Colours, Drums, Woolpacks, Grenadoes, Pick-axes, Shovels, Scaling Ladders, &c. were left behind in the Retreat, which the Enemy arrogantly diverted themselves withal, for some Time, on the Top of the Hill, taking Care to let the Army see them. ”

“ Whereas had the Encampment been formed at first, a few Yards up in the Woods, none of the Enemy's Guns could have been brought to bear on it, nor indeed would they have been able to have discovered where it was; besides the great Advantage of Men's being cool, and particularly after working ”

“ Bland's Regiments were as good Troops as any on the Expedition; and after this Reinforcement, it was expected the Communication would have been immediately cut off; (as it had been suggested Numbers could not be spared before) but so far from that, that the Army still complained, that they had not Men enough to relieve their Guards; and indeed, according to the Number they mounted, Marlborough's Army would scarce have been sufficient; for the Advance Guard consisted of five hundred Men, the Picket eight hundred, besides several other Out-Guards of one hundred, and some fifty ”

“ Finding the Country open hereabouts, [33] the Army did not chuse to make any further Advances, so they pitched [34] on a Place for encamping, and the Evening sent a Party up to La Papa to take Possession of that, if the Enemy had abandoned it [Z] . In the mean while all possible Dispatch was made in landing the Baggage, Provision, Cannon, Ammunition, &c. [A] which the Enemy surprisingly suffered, notwithstanding the landing Place was within reach of the Guns of St. ”

“ Bomb-Battery, which was finished and played in two Days) expected any Thing to be done, he would order some Ships in to cannonade the Town [H] , otherwise desired these Things might be considered in a general Council of War, of Sea and [45] Land Officers, and accordingly on the 15th a Council of War was held, who came to a Resolution (upon the General's Representation of the bad State of the Army) [I] , to have the Cannon and Forces reimbarked with all convenient Speed, and the 17th in the Night the Troops were accordingly [K] taken off the Shore. ”